"I've found you," she said, and continued on her way towards the city.
She entered the city walls just after sunrise. She'd cast a spell that made people's attention slide off of her, around her. It pushed the unwanted gazes of the guards from her face, and as such she was able to walk straight through the front gate, hood drawn, cloak billowing about her feet. The blue trail led straight to the castle, but she wasn't surprised. In fact, she had expected as much.
So it was that she came to walk straight through the great main doors. Once she was there, however, she kept to the shadows and alcoves, moving through the lesser used corridors. Her spell was clever, and would no doubt keep her protected, but it wasn't infallible. Chances were things that only fools took and She was no fool. She walked up the spiral staircases and through long corridors. Just as she was about to reach the physician's chambers, Prince Arthur came walking quickly past and through the door. She ducked into a shadowed corner as the king, flanked by guards, followed him shortly after. She waited, then, though the wait was killing her
Patience, she had learned through life, patience would bring greater rewards than rash decisions.
She wanted Uther dead, yes. Arthur as well. But their time would come, and the waiting would only make her victory all the sweeter. Today, for now, all she wanted was the servant. Merlin.
Merlin had taken it upon himself as a sort of personal mission to provoke Percival into saying more than a single sentence at a time. After all, it wasn't like he had much better to do, save for lay in bed and angst at the ceiling about what his life had become. Wake. Eat. Be pitied. Get pestered over if he'd remembered anything. Get cross. Sometimes actually remember something and spend the next few hours shaky and trying not to get sick everywhere. Get cross again. Worry over his magic. Sleep. Repeat.
And, as much as Merlin enjoyed the seemingly endless cycle, bothering Percival proved to be much more fun.
"So," he said, propped up at the table. His food was sitting next to him, and Merlin would pick at it from time to time. "How are things?"
"Fine," said Percival as he wrote on a piece of paper. "You?"
Merlin grunted, and Percival snorted slightly in laughter. It was quiet again. Merlin fidgeted, drumming his fingers on the tabletop. He didn't like the quiet. It grated on his nerves more than any noise ever had. "What are you doing?"
"Writing a report."
"About?"
"The last patrol we went on."
"When was that?"
"Three days ago," he said, "Gwen stayed with you."
"Ah, right," said Merlin, and in his mental tally he counted it as two sentences. "Um..."
The door opened, and Arthur strode in, effectively cutting off the, for lack of a better word, conversation. Merlin tried to sit up straighter, blinking. It was the first time that he'd seen Arthur since the incident with the horse and his legs being tied. Merlin found himself feeling somewhat nervous at the sight of the prince, muscles tensing as if readying to flee. But why would he want to run away from Arthur?
"Percival, it's time for you to leave," said Arthur. "Please go and find Gaius and have him come here as soon as possible."
The large knight, hesitating slightly, looking between Merlin and Arthur, stood and walked out.
"Arthur," said Merlin, smiling slightly, "I was starting to think that you'd forgotten about m –"
"Stand up," he said, pulling Merlin to his feet. He poked at his slumped shoulders. "Keep your back as straight as you can as long as you can. I know it will be uncomfortable, but you don't want to seem unconfident or anything. Answer his questions as well as you can, but if you don't want to or can't or need help, just mention that you're feeling lightheaded, and I'll intervene. And, for the love of God, think before you speak."
